George OgataMusic Director and Conductor

George Ogata was the Conductor of the Longy Youth Chamber Orchestra (LYCO) for 17 years, building the senior youth orchestra program at Longy School of Music of Bard College into an esteemed ensemble in the Greater Boston area. Mr. Ogata took LYCO on acclaimed tours worldwide, with successful visits to France, Finland, Spain, Austria, Czech Republic, Washington, D.C., and Canada. In the 2006-2007 season, he served one year as the Conductor of the Honors Chamber Orchestra of the Nashoba Youth Orchestra.

In 2013, George Ogata helped found the Massachusetts Youth Symphony Project (MYSP), a new youth orchestra based at the Powers Music School in Belmont, Massachusetts. For two years, he conducted the Senior Orchestra with student members ages 12 through 18.

Along with his history of fostering the area’s finest youth musical talent, in 1995, George Ogata founded the MIT Summer Philharmonic Orchestra (MITSPO) as its Music Director and Conductor. Having completed its 20th anniversary season, MITSPO has been the preeminent summer community orchestra for two decades. Made up of top musicians of the MIT community and the general Greater Boston area, MITSPO hosts a single concert event every summer. In 2009, MITSPO was invited to participate in the Landmarks Festival at the Shell series and make its debut at the Hatch Shell at the Boston Esplanade.

George Ogata became the Music Director and Conductor of the Reading Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2014.

A resident of Wakefield, George Ogata graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and minor in music. His violin teachers included Richard Gordon, Dale King, and Robert Koff. Mr. Ogata studied conducting with James Yannatos, and he was selected to participate in master classes with Michael Charry, Gunther Schuller, Brian Priestman, and Lawrence Leighton Smith. In addition to his chamber music experience at MIT, Mr. Ogata was Concertmaster of the MIT Symphony Orchestra for seven years.